The B fifth chord, better known as the B power chord (B5), is a cornerstone of guitar-driven rock and metal music. What makes the B power chord distinctive is its minimal structure—containing only the root note (B) and the perfect fifth, with no third interval. This two-note approach creates a neutral, powerful sound that remains tonally ambiguous, allowing it to function effectively over both major and minor chord progressions. Power chords like B5 are ubiquitous in heavy music genres, where their clean harmonic profile stands up exceptionally well to high-gain distortion and aggressive playing styles. Motorhead's Lemmy Kilmister revolutionized B5 usage by playing power chords through bass amplification with treble boost (Marshall Super Bass stacks), creating the grinding midrange texture that defined speed metal and influenced bands from Metallica to Slayer. The B5 appears prominently in heavy metal rhythm playing, where its position at the 7th fret (E string root) or 2nd fret (A string root) makes it a versatile choice for riffs and progressions alongside E5, F♯5, and D5. Due to standard tuning placing B at the 7th fret (or 2nd fret in drop A tuning), B5 requires more left-hand strength than open position chords, making it a technical milestone for developing guitarists learning proper fret-hand finger placement and pressure.
Scale degrees of each note in the B Fifth chord.
| Note | Number | Name |
|---|---|---|
| B | 1 | Tonic |
| F♯ | 5 | Dominant |
Intervals from the root note of the B Fifth chord.
| Notes | Semitones | Interval |
|---|---|---|
| B → B | 0 | Perfect Unison (P1) |
| B → F♯ | 7 | Perfect 5th (P5) |
Explore chords that share the same key as the B Fifth chord.